On Children,Gibran 关于孩

Your children are not your children.

你的子女，其实不是你的子女

They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.

他们是生命对于自身渴望而诞生的孩子

They come through you but not from you.

他们借助你来到这个世界，却非因你而来

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

他们陪伴你，却并不属于你

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

你可以给他们爱，却不可灌输思想

For they have their own thoughts.

因为他们自有独立的思想

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

你可以荫蔽他们的身体，却不要禁锢灵魂

for their souls dwells in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit,not even in your dreams.

因为他们的灵魂属于明天，属于你做梦也无法到达的明天

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

你可以拼尽全力，变得和他们一样，却不要让他们成为你

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

因为生命不会后退，也不可能在过去停留

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

你是弓，儿女是从你那里射出的箭

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

上帝遥望未来之路上的箭靶

And he bends you with his might that his arrows may go swift and far.

用尽力气将你拉开，让箭射得又快又远

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness,

满怀喜悦地，在上帝的掌中弯曲吧！

for even as he loves the arrow that flies, so he loves also the bow that is stable.

是的，他喜欢翩若惊鸿的箭，也中意稳定如山的弓